Telephone pay-station.



G. A. LONG.

TELEPHONE PAY STATION.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Inveizmn' GeaAJTang By @219 Aplfiorneys;

Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT O' FFICE.

GEORGE A. LONG, or HARTFORD, ooNNnorIcU'aAssIcrNoR r0 THE GRAY TELEPHONE PAY TA ION COMPANY, 01,? HARTFORD, CONNECTIC T, A C RP RATION OF O NEQTICUT.

EL HON A -SIATIONQ pe a ion of Letters la ent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed August 6 1913. Serial No. 783,255.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Pay-Stations, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to telephone paystations, one of the primary purposes of the invention being toprovide simple and effective means by which a prepay telephonepay-station can be quickly and easily converted into a postpay one.

In the drawings accompanyingand forming part of the present specification I have shown in detail one of the several convenient forms of embodiment of the invention, which to enable those skilled in the art to practise the same will be set forth fully in the following description. I do not restrict myself to this showing I may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the invention defined by the claim following said description.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 1s a sectional rear elevation of the hopper, discharge chutes, and certain cooperating devices of a prepay telephone-pay station equipped with the locking-means involving my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the magnet, its armature and certain coacting elements including the locking-member. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of said locking-member.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several figures. I

At the present time there are in genera use two types of telephone-pay stations, one wherein the subscriber inserts into the machine the money in payment of the toll after he gets his party and the other wherein the toll is paid before the connection is obtained. As will be inferred those of the first kind are known as postpay while the other are termed prepay. These postpay machines have been employed for a great number of years whereas the prepay machines have only come into use at a compara tively recent date. There are occasions where it becomes necessary to change a prepay machine into a postpay one and at the present time to accomplish this it is essential to remove the greater part of the equipment thereof and substitute therefor equipment of a radically difierent character. I provide means whereby all this is avoided.

A prepay machine comprises a plurality of discharge-chutes and means for directing at will or otherwise, a coin or coins along either of these chutes. One of these chutes is adapted to direct the coin or coins into a money box within the stationi while the other is adapted to deliver the coin or coins outside the station or exteriorly of the casing or housing thereof. An example of a prepay station is shown in Letters Patent No. 917,742 granted to me April 6, 1909. In conjunction with the coin-directing means of whatever character the same may be, is locking-means which is of such nature as to hold the coin-directing means in one of its two shifted positions, in the present instance in such relation that the coin or coins will be delivered into the money box or like compartment within the machine. These several parts may be of any suitable nature.

WVith the foregoing general description it is now in order to refer to the organization illustrated in the drawings.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 may denote a base member which is suitably rigidly mounted in the casing of the telephone pay station and which sustains the polarized electromagnet 2 cooperative with the poles 3 of which is the oscillatory armature A. Depending from said oscillatory or rocking armature at its center of movement, is the arm 5 terminating at its lower end in the fork 6 straddling the pin 7 projecting laterally from the flap 8 mounted for swinging movement in the hopper structure 9 the two discharge chutes 10 and 11 leading from said hopper structure, the chute 10 to direct the coin or coins into the coin box or equivalent receptacle while the chute 11 conducts the coins to a point outside the casing of the station where they can be reached by the subscriber. When the magnet 2 is deenergized its armature stands in a neutral position, the pendent arm 5 at this time being substantially vertically disposed, the flap or coin-director being also approximately vertical so that the anti-friction roller or analogous part 12 at the upper edge of said flap will be under the temporary coin-supporting part 13 pivoted within the hopper structure 9. It will be supposed that there are one or more coins resting on the pivoted support 13, and that the flap 8 is standing vertically. 1

If current of one polarity be sent through the magnet 2 the armature 4 thereof will be attracted in such manner as to swing, through the arm 5, the flap 8 in a direction to release the support 13 and hence the coins resting thereon and cause the gravitation of the coins into the chute 10 and hence into the coin-box. If current of opposite polarity be sent through the magnet, the support 13 will be released but the flap will be swung to cause the coins to enter the chute ll'by which they will be returned to the sub scriber.

The foregoing is a general and comparatively brief description of the machine shown in the Letters Patent to which I have alluded.

It will be clear that it the flap 8 be locked in the position it is shown as occupying in Fig. 1, the coins will pass into the chute 10 and from the latter into the coin box or receptacle, and as will be understood from what has already been stated, such means may differ decidedly as to character. In

like manner it is not essential that I employ any particular kind of prepay machine.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate in detail a locking member 1-1, which answers my requirements and in Fig. 1 this locking member is shown as occupying its effective position. It is shown as bifurcated to straddle one of the poles of the magnet 2, the pole on the right in Fig. 1 being shown as thus straddled, the deeper leg of the said locking member being in engagement with the body of the arma ture a so that the armature being locked against motion it follows that the flap or equivalent coin director 8 cannot be operated notwithstanding the fact that the magnet be energized or some similar act performed. To maintain the locking member 14: in operative position any suitable means,

such as the holding pin 15, may be utilized, this pin preferably being in the form of a screw, to prevent its accidental displacement the deeper leg or branch of the bifurcated locking member having a tapped hole to receive the threaded portion of the screw 15 while the other leg has a plain hole to receive the screw. It will be assumed that it is desired to lock the flap 8 in position to make a postpay out of a prepay instrument. In this event the screw 15 is taken from place, if it be in place, after which, the armature t is swung over, by hand, to the position it is shown as occupying in Fig. 1, when the locking member 14: is passed over its appropriate pole 8. The screw 15 is then put into place.

In conclusion I should state that at the present time when there is occasion to change a prepay telephone pay station into a postpay one, it is required that the base 1 with all the parts supported thereby, be dismounted and an entirely different base with entirely diiierent equipment put in its stead. By virtue of the improvement I eliminate all this trouble and all the additional exense of keeping double equipment.

What I claim is: p

In a telephone pay station, a plurality of chutes, means involving a polarized electromagnet and its armature, for directing coins in desired order into said chutes, and a forked locking member removably straddling one of the poles of said magnet, for locking said armature against movement.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. LONG.

Witnesses:

CHARLES SOBY, EDWARD A. I-IAGEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

